Glaive of the Bodyguard of the Tiepolo Family
Unknown Artist
ca. 1600
Medium
Steel, gold, wood, textile
Dimensions
L. of head (including side straps) 44 3/4 in. (113.67 cm)
Classification
Shafted Weapons
Culture
Italian
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1912
Accession Number
12.141.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of Renaissance Italy with the *Glaive of the Bodyguard of the Tiep Family*, a striking shafted weapon dating to around 1600. Crafted by an unknown Italian artisan, this glaiveessentially a long polearm with a broad, single-edged steel blade—measures an imposing 44¾ inches for its head alone, including side straps. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Department, it exemplifies the fusion of functionality and opulence in Venetian martial culture, acquired through the Frederick C. Hewitt Fund in 1912. The glaive's materials—steel for the lethal blade, gold for...